Aflac Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:AFL)

Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Traders acquired 4,890 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 133% compared to the average volume of 2,099 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on AFL shares. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Aflac in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $113.00 target price on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $119.00 price target (up from $110.00) on shares of Aflac in a report on Tuesday, December 30th. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on shares of Aflac and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Aflac from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Aflac currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.00.

Aflac Price Performance

NYSE AFL opened at $108.05 on Tuesday. Aflac has a one year low of $96.95 and a one year high of $119.32. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $111.10 and a 200 day moving average of $110.38. The company has a market capitalization of $55.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.11 and a current ratio of 0.11.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.69 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $4.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.45 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.24% and a return on equity of 14.35%. Aflac’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Aflac will post 6.88 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Post Holdings Co. Ltd. Japan sold 19,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.96, for a total transaction of $2,141,528.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 52,241,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,796,716,840. This trade represents a 0.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles D. Lake II sold 15,590 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.93, for a total value of $1,713,808.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 62,237 shares in the company, valued at $6,841,713.41. This trade represents a 20.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 235,077 shares of company stock valued at $25,690,082. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Aflac

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Aflac by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 57,142,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,301,056,000 after buying an additional 6,759,169 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Aflac in the 2nd quarter worth $432,201,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Aflac by 1,184.5% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,264,090 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $141,199,000 after acquiring an additional 1,165,676 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Aflac by 390.7% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,111,711 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $122,588,000 after acquiring an additional 885,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Aflac by 132.4% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,227,200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,078,000 after acquiring an additional 699,080 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.44% of the company’s stock.

Aflac Company Profile

Aflac Incorporated (American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus) is a provider of supplemental insurance products designed to help policyholders manage out-of-pocket health care and living expenses. The company underwrites a range of individual and group policies that typically pay cash benefits directly to insureds when covered events occur, enabling greater financial flexibility for medical treatment, hospital stays, critical illness, and related costs. Aflac’s product mix includes supplemental health insurance, life insurance and other specialty coverages intended to complement primary medical plans.

Founded in the mid-20th century and headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, Aflac distributes its products through a combination of employer-sponsored programs, independent brokers and agents, and direct marketing.